Sacred Betrayal
by Mirrordance
Summary: Concluded! Elrohir forfeits the life of his brother Elladan for a secret price and Aragorn and Legolas go to unspoken dangers to discover the cause of this most sacred of betrayals…
1. The Message

Author: Mirrordance

Title: Sacred Betrayal 

Summary: Elrohir forfeits the life of his brother Elladan for a secret price and Aragorn and Legolas go to unspoken dangers to discover the cause of this most sacred of betrayals…

PART 1: The Message

* * *

Northwestern Borders of Mirkwood

* * *

      "Keep your head, Estel!" Legolas exclaimed in dismay, releasing an arrow that zipped across space, defying time.  It had passed so close to Aragorn's face that he felt the displaced air against his cheek, and heard the thwok of its strike against an orc that had slipped past his defenses, come too close behind him without his notice.

      Aragorn growled, displeased at his laxness and his pride stung by the _arrogant_ elf's scolding.  He plunged his sword into another orc, venting his displeasure at where it ought to go.

      It took the two seasoned warriors and a small band of elf soldiers from Mirkwood a few more minutes to dispel their attackers.  The borders of the kingdom were once again safe, at least for the moment.  Greater dangers were afoot, what with the reclaiming of the evil fortress of Dol Guldur south of the great realm.

      "My head is where it ought to be," grated Aragorn to Legolas in a low voice.

      "What?" the elf inquired almost absently, feigning innocence and pretending to have forgotten what he had said in the midst of the minor battle, as he gathered his used arrows about the dead orc that now littered ground.

      Aragorn narrowed his eyes and bit at the inside of his cheek in irritation, before he sighed and bent to help the elf recover what shafts could still be used.  Legolas looked at him from the corners of his eyes, his lips quirking into a smile.

      "You sure quit early," he teased the man.

      Aragorn looked at him wryly, casually pulling out an arrow from the hide of an orc, "You were right.  I have been somewhat distracted as of late."

      "Are you not in accord with your brothers?" Legolas asked politely, his brows furrowing, "I notice that you have been traveling around on your own as of late—not very wise, by the way—and seldom have I ever seen the three of you apart.  Come to think of it, I don't think I ever have."

      Aragorn shook his head.  "I felt it was about time I went into the Wild.  To be among folk of my own kind, to know the best of their ways and their hearts, if I am to be worthy of becoming their King.  It has nothing to do with a rift between the terrible twins and I."  

      Legolas smiled at the nickname, but steered the conversation adroitly towards what was troubling his old friend, "I believe you live a rather charmed life, _mellon_, I do not know what could possibly be bothering you."

      "Charmed?" laughed Aragorn in a way that adamantly refused to reach his eyes, "Hardly."

      Legolas frowned and looked at him worriedly.  "Estel…"

      "I met Arwen Undomiel."

      "I see," said Legolas after a moment, understanding at once what that meant.

      Man and elf worked in silence for several minutes, before Aragorn asked, "What are you thinking?"

      Legolas pursed his lips in thought, "Well _I_ would not fall for a mortal as much as I can help it.  We are destined for different ends.  It's like Luthien and Beren.  It is beautiful, yes, but ultimately tragic."

      "Therefore?" pressed Aragorn.

      "You play with fire, my friend," sighed Legolas, "Such is a heartbreak I would not wish for you, or for the Evenstar, or for anyone.  But I've never known you to cower from anything, much less for a matter where what is at stake is your heart.  Lead on, I say.  And may the seasons bear what fates they will.  After all, you can only do what is right by how you know it.  If your spirit deems this so, then I cannot doubt it, could I?"

      Aragorn smiled at him, seemed more settled.  "Thank you."

      "And thank you," grinned Legolas cheekily, taking the arrow shafts from Aragorn's hands and putting them into the quiver upon his back.  

      ~A rider approaches,~ says Amadis, Legolas' aging guardian and one of the soldiers from the North-Western border patrol he presently commanded, ~He rides in the colors of Rivendell.~

      Legolas glanced at Aragorn, who with him stepped forward to meet the anxious new arrival.

      ~What news?~ Aragorn demanded at once.

      ~Lord Elrond received word that you were to stay here for the season,~ began the messenger.  Legolas looked at Aragorn wryly; both knew that the report must have been from Legolas' father, who was a kindred to the overburdened Lord of Imladris with their wildly wanderlust-ing sons.

      ~And my first message had been of better tidings,~ he continued, ~To remind you to be careful, and to tell you to return home soon.~

      ~And what of your new message?~ asked Aragorn edgily.

      ~There was a party of ten hunting orc, including Masters Elrohir and Elladan,~ replied the messenger, turning Aragorn's blood cold, ~They have been missing for a little over a day now, with signs of a skirmish found along the route they should have taken.~

      ~Where was this?~ Legolas asked.

      ~North of Gladden Fields,~ replied the messenger, ~Near Hithaeglir.  There were no casualties found, save for orcs.  But if they were well, they ought to have returned sooner.~

      ~Either they were eaten or taken as prisoners,~ Legolas said stonily, knowing his objectiveness was required by the situation, ~Who is tracking?~

      ~Our best men, my lord,~ replied the messenger, ~We are counting that the orcs would choose the latter.  Prisoners taken in that area could only be brought to few places…~

      ~The orc-strongholds in the North,~ Legolas filled in, ~or if they had gone to their southeast, towards Dol Guldur here.  In Mirkwood.~

      ~My horse,~ Aragorn said to a steward, who immediately handed him the reins of his black stallion.

      "I know where you are going," said Legolas severely, "Do not rush into the fray, Estel.  Go to your father first, take counsel with him.  He needs you."

      "My hands are best used in the field," said Aragorn as he mounted his steed, "where they will serve my brothers."

      ~If I may be so bold to say so, Master Estel,~ said the messenger hesitantly, ~Rivendell and Lord Elrond have been cast in a great gloom.  Return home.~

      "The best trackers are working on this," insisted Legolas, "Most of whom equal your skills in the least.  But none of them have your _ada_'s heart.  You may be his token son left.  Take counsel with him first."

      Aragorn set his jaws as if to argue, but ultimately nodded his head.  ~I will return to Imladris with you,~ he said to the messenger.

      "Tell Lord Elrond," said Legolas, "that I will speak with my father and extend our own patrols in case the orcs with their prisoners head towards Dol Guldur.  Orcs are impatient, their masters at least just as so.  If they choose to go through Mirkwood from Gladden instead of avoiding our realm and go the long way around towards Dol Guldur, we will find them, there is little doubt of that."

      The Prince of Mirkwood motioned for one of the soldiers with him, ~Give the messenger a fresh horse.~  To Aragorn, he said, "Be safe, Estel.  I will see you soon."

      "Stay out of trouble, _mellon__,_" Aragorn said to him with a small smile and a little fire in his worried eyes, before his steed bore him away.

TO BE CONTINUED…


	2. The Return

Author: Mirrordance

Title: Sacred Betrayal 

Summary: Elrohir forfeits the life of his brother Elladan for a secret price and Aragorn and Legolas go to unspoken dangers to discover the cause of this most sacred of betrayals…

PART 2: Returns

* * *

Eastern Borders of Imladris

* * *

      ~_How far would you go to keep a promise?~_

_      ~Until it's fulfilled,~ he replied, ~You know this.~_

_      Silence._

_      ~You talk as if you know it's going to be you,~ he said._

_      ~Just in case.~_

      Disembodied voices in the dark.  Long ago had that conversation been, but the darkness lent it a nearness such that each time Elrohir closed his eyes, he felt as if those last few words were spoken just moments before, and his brother still stood before him, with that sad grin he could not see, but could hear from the nuances of his voice.

      Elrohir opened his eyes, and his present reality was entirely different.  The sun was high above the sky, and graced the fields warmly.  He knew by the sights and sounds of the land that he was nearing home.  A home that would be much tarnished when he returns, much… _diminished._  

      But still the beauty of the nearing Imladris was undeniable, and it struck a bitter chord in his weathered heart.  So beautiful a sight for so sad a day…

      He clenched his fists tighter about the smelly, ragged sack that he held.  It was bloodstained, and looked torn and world-weary, just like him.  And it carried a secret burden, _just like him_…

      He sucked in a harsh breath, as difficult because of his injuries as it was because of his thoughts.  He was tired, and despairing, and so helplessly angered.  His rage lent him the strength to move forward, step by step, moment by moment.  But even that was waning…

      He stumbled once, and he caught himself on his hands and knees, the sound of the sack against the ground grotesquely dull.  He blinked at his reactive tears, before he gathered his feet.

      He sighted a lonely brush of a tree surrounded by the grassy flatlands.  He stumbled his way towards it, and fell to his knees upon its meager shade.  Here, the soil was cooler and softer.  And here is where the secret would be taken to the ground, out of sight, if not out of his mind.

      Clawing his already-bleeding hands, he scratched at the ground, tentatively at first, and then harshly and quickly, as if it deserved all his rage and anger.  He dug about an arm's length deep, and he placed the sack into the whole gently, murmuring elvish prayers and goodbye's.

      He was in the middle of this when he heard the thunder of anxious horse hooves approaching from somewhere behind him.  For a moment, his heart fluttered in nervousness; did they come to get him after all? But his mind calmed him.  No, orcs do not ride horses.  Either way, he had to act quickly.  The evidence must be hid.

      _The secret must be kept._

_      The promise must be fulfilled._

      He gathered the displaced soil and threw them hurriedly over the hole he had dug.  And then he pounded on the re-covered ground, just as a pair of riders appeared in the horizon, and set their course towards him.

      Elrohir recognized them both, and his heart constricted at the safety they projected and their wonderful familiarity, even as it was pained by his loss, and their bitter reminders…

      "Elrohir!" Aragorn exclaimed, dismounting his horse even before it came to a complete halt.  He fell to his knees on the ground before his adoptive brother and clutched at his shoulders.

      "Estel," Elrohir said softly, as he looked searchingly into the man's eyes, seeking something of only he knew.

      Aragorn looked about him anxiously.  ~Where are the others?~

      ~Ten left and one returns,~ snapped Elrohir tightly, ~What in all of Arda do you think happened?~

      Aragorn looked at him with wide, despairing eyes.  He knew the answer, but he had to ask…

      --

      ~Elladan?~

      --

      ~He too is gone.~

* * *

Rivendell

* * *

      Two returning sons and a messenger appeared in the horizon.  There was a great clamor in the household, and as the three riders approached its doors, the Lord of Imladris himself came out running, his robes rustling behind him as he beheld his children.

      Aragorn felt Elrohir, who sat in front of him, take a deep shaky breath and release it in a sigh that seemed to empty him completely; with it his body became limp and boneless, as if he were deflated, as if he were _defeated_.

      "Ada," he said softly, barely a whisper, as Lord Elrond moved forward and ushered him to the ground, embracing him as he sank to the floor on his knees.

      ~I can't help him,~ he sobbed helplessly, ~I can't help him.  Elladan is lost to us.  I can't help him.  I am _so_ sorry _ada_.  I am _so_ sorry.~

      Elrond held him tightly, and looked up at Aragorn as he dismounted his horse.  Aragorn could say nothing, though his eyes spoke in volumes, as they rested against the sight of father and son holding each other in despair so uncharacteristic of them.  

      The elves around them averted their gazes, as if the sight stung them.  As if it was unbearable, and in more ways than one perhaps it really was.  The House of Elrond had been stained by an irrecoverable loss.  Its strength had been defied.  It had lost one of its children.

* * *

      Aragorn heard the near-imperceptible footsteps of his adoptive father as the elf lord came up behind him.  For a moment, they stood in silence, surveying the land of Imladris from the vantage point of the balconied veranda.  The winds were whipping this evening, though all else was still.

      "Legolas was with me when I found out," Aragorn said at last, breaking the quiet, "He said he will speak with his father about expanding their border patrols to search for Elladan and Elrohir.  I am certain that the soldiers of Mirkwood are hard at work in this, in case the orcs head to Dol Guldur."

      "Their aid is much appreciated," said Elrond, "I will ensure that their family and realm receive our utmost gratitude, when I send word for them at first light tomorrow to call off their searching."

      Aragorn opened his mouth as if to speak, but held himself back, and kept his own thoughts for awhile.

      --

      "You have a magical way about you, Estel," Elrond said quietly, this time the one to break the weighty silence.  Aragorn could hear the small, lonely smile upon his face from that tone in his voice, "One moment I send for you, and the next you return with Elrohir."

      "I had nothing to do with it," Aragorn said wearily, "I was merely his… his donkey.  He was so near he could have walked the rest of the way and be here in less than a day."

      "Still," Elrond said.

      "How is he?" Aragorn asked, turning to Elrond with furrowed brows and burning eyes.

      "Arwen is with him," replied Elrond, "She knows his heart, but could never understand it as much as you or… or as Elladan had."

      --

      ~This couldn't be true, _ada_,~ said Aragorn, ~I refuse to believe it.  I _cannot.~_

      --

      ~I have already recalled our soldiers that I have set upon the search,~ said Elrond softly, ~Your brother says there is no reason anymore.  Elladan is lost.  They all are.  We will not even find corpses for the brutality of the _yrchs__._~

      ~There is something wrong with this situation, _ada_,~ insisted Aragorn, ~I can't tell what exactly, but I feel it.  You say I understand Elrohir.  Then bank on this and hear what I say.  Do not completely call off that search.  And for that matter, postpone your word to Mirkwood a few days.~

      ~Why would your brother lie?~ Elrond pointed out, ~Accept it, Estel.  It is good to always hope, but there lies a fine line between that and irrationality.~

      ~Rationality has little to do with this,~ said Aragorn, ~This is _Elladan_.  My brother.  Your son.  It's _our_ hearts.  What's another few days?~      

      ~I do not know where you are going with this,~ sighed Elrond, looking away from him, ~I look at your burning eyes and you are giving me a hope that Elrohir, who was _there_, assures me is false.  Do not play with my heart, Estel.  Cease this madness.  Please.~

      Aragorn set his jaws, and stared at Lord Elrond intently.  ~Elrohir kept saying "I can't help him."  It is in the present tense.  There is a story here, _ada_.  And it can spell the difference between Elladan's life and death.~

      ~Tenses!~ said Lord Elrond disgustedly, as if it were a curse, and Aragorn watched as the mighty Lord of Imladris blinked at the thick tears that were welling in his eyes, ~You are mad,~ he said softly, though he struggled to smile, ~But what of that is new?~

      Aragorn gripped Lord Elrond's shoulder, and the elf held his hand and squeezed it.

      ~The gods help you, Estel,~ he said, ~I pray your intuition leads us to Elladan.~

* * *

      The new day was greeted by a shock of golden light from the rising sun.  It cast Rivendell in a fiery glow and unearthly beauty, a sight that Elrohir used to love to wake to.

      He blinked at the light, as if it stung him, as if it burnt him.  He pushed himself up to his elbows, staring out upon his bedroom window.  It took him some moments to recognize another presence in the room, and he turned to look at Aragorn sitting upon a weathered old chair in one corner of the room.  The human's elbows were pressed to his knees, and his hands clasped as if in a strange, fervent prayer that seemed to rest in his eyes.

      _Curse those eyes_, Elrohir thought, shifting uncomfortably in their assault.  Estel always was giftedly perceptive, and Elrohir feared having to say premature truths before his steely gaze.

      "Where did Elladan fall?" Aragorn asked him softly.

      ~I do not want to talk about it,~ Elrohir said with finality.

      "I understand," said Aragorn, nodding and rising to his feet.  Elrohir then noticed that he was wearing his weathered hunting clothes.

      ~Where are you going?~ he asked the human.

      "To look for Elladan," replied Aragorn coolly, "Even if all I ever find is his corpse."

      This seemed to enrage Elrohir into tossing his covers and rising up to his feet.  He wavered a little, but he held his ground with the strength of his pride.

      ~You will do no such thing.~

      "Why?" snapped Aragorn, "It seems you have given up enough for all of us.  I will do this and you cannot stop me."

      ~You think I love him less for what I do not do?~ asked Elrohir, enraged, ~You are gravely mistaken, _human_.  You do not know a thing.~

      "Then tell me," insisted Aragorn, "Correct me."

      "I can't."

      "You can't correct me," said Aragorn dryly, slighted by Elrohir's spitting tone when he had said _human_, "And you can't help him.  Can you do anything at all?"

      ~I can stop you from this madness,~ said Elrohir boldly, blocking Aragorn's path.

      "You can't," Aragorn guaranteed him, "I almost dare you to try."

      --

      "You would usually be the first in line for this madness thing," said Aragorn quietly, "This is _Elladan_.  Why stop now.  Why _ever_."

      ~Let it rest, Estel,~ Elrohir said tiredly, ~Elladan would never wish for you to endanger yourself for lost causes.  Please.  Let it all be. I beg of you.~

      Aragorn's brows furrowed.  He had never known his brother to beg, as he had never known that defeated, lost tone.

      Aragorn sidestepped Elrohir cleanly, and strode to the door.  

      "_I_ can't."

* * *

      _He hides a secret_, Aragorn decided, his thoughts drifting as he rode his horse with his party of four soldiers.

      It was not just the pain of brokenness and loss that rested in Elrohir's eyes, one that was uncommon of the few survivors of orc attacks and captivity.  But it was a heavy, weighing _responsibility_.  

      _~I can't help him.~_

_      ~I can't help him.~_

      If Elladan was indeed dead, then Elrohir had a strange hand in it; one that wasn't only a question of not being able to protect him.  He was in a position riddled with guilt that was not only of _not_ acting, but of doing something that had been detrimental to his own brother.

_      ~I am so sorry __Ada__,~__ he had said in that anguished, tired, hopeless sobbing._

      _~Ten left and one returns,~ snapped Elrohir tightly, ~What in all of Arda do you think happened?~_

      Aragorn shook his head, an answer beginning to form in his head even as it eluded him.

      ~We are nearing where we had found him yesterday, Master Estel,~ the rider beside him, who was also the messenger from the day before pointed out.

      ~How did he come to be here?~ asked another soldier, ~He had traveled on foot, which means those who had captured him and from whom he had escaped could not have been too far.~

      ~He is loathe to speak of such matters yet,~ said Aragorn, his eyes drifting to the tree underneath which he and the messenger he was with had spotted Elrohir the day before.

      He remembered it well.  He had sighted the familiar figure from the distance, and he looked like a dream, in the middle of this green field, beneath its solitary tree.

      Curiously, the elf had been on his hands and knees…

      Digging at the dirt with his hands.

      Urging his horse forward, Aragorn rode hard towards the tree, and he heard the riders follow him, even if they were unsure as to what the strange human was doing.

      Aragorn dismounted his horse in a blur, and intently looked upon the patterns of the soil on the ground.  

      _His hands had clawed at the ground here…_

_      His feet had stomped at the soil here_…

      Clawing his own hands and digging with them, he unearthed a foul-smelling, bloodstained, ragged sack.

      He muttered a curse as he drew it out.  And turned it over, catching the contents on his palm.

      Aghast, the dull contents of the sack fell to the hard ground when he jerked his hand away at their first clammy contact with his skin.

      His stomach heaved.  He was going to be ill.  This was not right.  This was downright evil.  

      He forced his eyes to look, and his mind to stop reeling.  On the ground were brutally cut _ears_.  Pointed, they must have once belonged to elves.  Pairs and pairs of severed elf ears lay on the ground.

      He heard the soldiers behind him utter curses, the others curbed their tongue and settled for prayers.  Aragorn decided to, well, count them.

_      ~Ten left and one returns,~ _Elrohir had snapped that day he had been found_, ~What in all of Arda do you think happened?~_

_      I don't know, my friend_, Aragorn thought, _But__ today you will give me the answers that I seek_.

      All he knew was that of the ten who had left for that fateful hunt, one returned, and eight pairs of severed elf ears lay before him, making _only _nine.  There is one hunter who had left that day and remains unaccounted for.

      _Elladan__ lives_.

TO BE CONTINUED…


	3. The Rescue

Author: Mirrordance

Title: Sacred Betrayal 

Summary: Elrohir forfeits the life of his brother Elladan for a secret price and Aragorn and Legolas go to unspoken dangers to discover the cause of this most sacred of betrayals…

PART 3: The Rescue

* * *

Southwestern Borders of Mirkwood

* * *

      The heavy footfalls of the orcs sounded mightily against the southwestern border of the realm of Thranduil; Legolas had been right, and they dared to trespass the kingdom to reach Dol Guldur quicker.

      Relying on their stealth, the elves had left their horses some distance back with a handful of their comrades, and traveled the rest of the way on foot, hiding behind trees and foliage as they searched for their quarry.

      Unmoving, the eight soldiers stood in cover of the trunks and leaves, silent and undetectable above a gentle slope that overlooked a battered dirt road.  The host of orcs passing through it was thick; they must have numbered over forty, accounting not only for how they had overpowered the seasoned warriors from Rivendell days ago, but also for their nerve to cross into these borders.  If the few elves had faced them openly, it could have been a brutal massacre at worst, or a heavy-casualty victory at the very least.

      Legolas' eyes narrowed as he watched the host move, finding the solitary, battered elf that one large uruk-hai had hoisted over his shoulder.  From this distance, he could not even tell if the elf was alive, his head bobbing in a curious manner, his eyes closed…

      It was Elladan, he guessed, and of the rest of the party of ten the messenger had spoken of as being lost some days ago, there was no sign.

      ~They will near Dol Guldur in a short while,~ Amadis told Legolas in a low voice, ~We will not have a chance then.  That cursed place is mightily fortified.~

      Legolas' brows furrowed in thought.  Calling for reinforcements were futile.  By the time they get here, the orcs would have already reached their mighty stronghold.  But there were only eight of them.  Five apiece to fell, which were not too bad odds considering they were all skilled warriors, though there was little doubt that some of them could be lost.  But the orcs had an obvious edge; the elf they seek to rescue is in the line of fire.  To loose him, and loose themselves would render the entire exercise profoundly pointless.

      Legolas silently watched the host move.  There would be a curve on the road soon, which would be taken by the scout orc holding the lead meters in front of the rest of his comrades.

      Crouching low on the ground and signaling for his troop to get prepare to move out, he stealthily ran towards the part of the slope that overlooked the curve.

      ~Release an arrow at my signal,~ he whispered to Amadis, ~For the Valar's sake, do not let a sound escape from that scout's mouth.~

      The old soldier nodded, his calm eyes already resting upon and following his target as he steadied the aim of his bow.

      ~Evan,~ Legolas whispered to the youngest soldier he was with, and also their best runner, ~Do not let him hit the ground.  Move forward the very breath that shaft leaves Amadis' fingers.~

      The young elf nodded, and readied his running stance.

      Legolas raised up his palms to prepare his soldiers.  Then very lightly, as the scout turned the curve, he let his hand fall to a rest upon Amadis' shoulder.

      The arrow was released, and Evan shot forward.  Legolas almost smirked at the precision of Amadis' aim; the arrow went through the orc scout's throat, rendering him voiceless.  Evan caught him cleanly before he hit the ground.

      Soundlessly, the rest of the small contingent moved forward and dragged the scout up the slope, as Legolas stirred the grass they had trampled to hide the trail.  Then they sank under the cover of the foliage again, just as the rest of the host turned the corner and looked about bewilderedly for their scout.

      Drawing a dagger from his boot, Legolas slashed at the orc scout's neck, and plunged his graceful hands into the blood that pooled around them.  Amadis was looking at him dispassionately, making him grin as he smudged the blood upon his clothes, his face, his arms…

      ~The more we smell like them,~ he reasoned, ~The closer we can come without their notice.  The longer we keep the element of surprise.  The greater the chance of success, given their number.~

      ~You are strong and madly clever like your _ada_,~ Amadis told him grudgingly, ~But this cursed odor will not come off for a week, I promise you.  _No one_ will happily welcome us back.~

      ~A risk I willingly take,~ grinned Legolas, before turning to Evan, ~Can you take another sprint?~

      ~Of course, sire,~ said the elf, his wide eyes and earnest face looking even younger underneath the smeared blood of the dead orc.

      ~Red herring,~ said Legolas, ~Run across the dirt road and make sure someone sees you.  Hide on the other side,~ to the others, he said, ~Cover him only when you see one of them aim.  Otherwise, fire at will only after the moment they turn to look towards the direction Evan ran.  Watch the captive, I don't want him hit by friendly fire.~

      ~On my signal, Evan,~ he said to the runner, ~Keep safe.~

      ~Of course, sire.~

      Legolas' eyes darted from left to right as he watched the host look about them in suspicion and confusion.

      ~Now.~

      From those words, the events unfolded in quick, uncontrollable succession, and Legolas could only rely upon the soundness of his plan, and the competencies of himself and his soldiers.

      Evan ran to the other side and hid safely.  The orcs turned to look his way, and volley after volley of arrows were unleashed, each shaft making its lethal way according to the design of their masters.

      It was in the middle of this that Legolas noticed that he and his soldiers were loathe to fire on the uruk-hai bearing Elladan; he had cleverly used the elf as a shield, and were making booming commands to his comrades, their reasonably sized contingent already breaking from the rest of the group, undoubtedly running towards the direction of Dol Guldur.

      ~Long distance shots will do no good,~ Amadis said, reading his mind, ~And they will move ever more quickly, knowing they have been sighted.~

      Legolas nodded, and looked towards the rest of their group, who seemed well in control of the situation.

      ~How many would you say made the move?~ he asked the old guard.

      ~You will not--~

      ~Amadis,~ snapped Legolas in his most regal of tones, ~How many.~

      ~Ten at least,~ the soldier replied, ~No more than fifteen.~

      ~Excellent,~ said Legolas, ~Five for you, five for me.~

      ~You will not--!~

      ~Fabian!~ Legolas said to one of his soldiers, ~Take command.  Amadis and I will pursue.  Keep this contingent off our backs.  We will meet where we hid the horses.  If we are not back by shift's end, return to the Realm and send the new group to the same area.  Do not forget Evan.~

      ~Yes sire,~ said the soldier, as he released more arrows towards the orcs, ~Be safe.~

      ~And you,~ said Legolas, rising to his feet and Amadis following miserably in his wake.

      ~I do not know when your father will figure out that I am getting too old to keep up with you,~ he said flatly, in that usual blasé way of his; Amadis had long been a guard to the Prince, and had therefore long been in suffering.

      ~You, old?~ teased Legolas as he ran, picking up his pace just to challenge the older elf a bit, ~Never.~

      Amadis matched the speed easily, meeting the challenge coolly.

      The two elves ran through the forest, dodging stray shots from orc-crossbows as they ran after the orcs who had taken Elladan.  As they neared their enemies, they fired a quick succession of arrows, their aim suffering little even as they ran, meeting their marks neatly.

      Some of the orcs they downed they ran past, fallen as the beasts were on the ground, and were left with little more than four more orcs to hunt before Amadis was accosted by a fallen orc's hand grabbing his leg.  The old guard fell to his face on the hard ground, winded.

      Legolas skidded to a halt, and turned to aid Amadis, just as the orc who had grabbed him raised his axe for a lethal blow.  Legolas released an arrow that hit the orc between the eyes, sending it back to the ground, its axe after it.

      He knelt next to Amadis, who was blinking and regaining his senses slowly.  His head had hit upon a rock, and his temple was bleeding.  Legolas looked up at the orcs bearing Elladan, already beginning to vanish in the distance, torn.

      ~Go.~

      Legolas looked down upon Amadis, surprised that the personal guard whom Aragorn used to tease as being his nanny, who is probably more overprotective of him than his own father, would allow such a thing, much less encourage it.

      ~What?~

      ~Before I change my mind,~ the older elf winced.

      ~There is four of them left,~ said Legolas coolly, willing to inspire confidence in the older soldier, ~I have easily beat more than twice that.  Return to the rest of the group.  Can you do this? Do you remember where?~

      ~Of course I remember,~ the other elf said irritably, ~Go.  Before you loose your quarry.~

      ~Maybe you forgot,~ teased Legolas, ~After all, you did trip.~

      ~Get your impish face away from mine, boy,~ growled Amadis, ~Go.  I'm changing my mind, I'm changing my mind,~ he threatened.

      ~I'm away,~ grinned Legolas, ~Be safe.~

      ~Don't make me regret this,~ Amadis called after him as he ran.

* * *

      Legolas reached behind him for another shaft, but found his hands cursedly empty.  He had run out of arrows, just as he was down to the last three of his quarry.

      "Blast," he muttered as he ran, drawing out his twin swords and picking up his pace.  Long-distance weapons had been so crucial in this chase.  He ducked as the orcs he were chasing fired returning shots from their handy crossbows.

      _Why aren't _they_ running out_?, he wondered bitterly.

      He was steadily gaining on his prey, and when he had come as near as a meter away from the last of the three orcs, he lunged at the beast with a cry, sending his blades across the back of its head.

      _Two more_.

      _Or not_.

      Legolas' ears perked at the sound of nearing, heavy footsteps.  Had they come so close to Dol Guldur by now? Or had these cursed orcs become so bold that they dare to trespass into Mirkwood even further than they already have? Either way, if he did not rush, he would have an entire host to have to deal with, and if he did not die in this skirmish, Amadis would kill him.

      He grabbed the crossbow of the orc beneath him, and aimed for the back of the orcs he still pursued.  One fell immediately after it was hit.  The tougher uruk-hai was shot twice before it fell to the ground, and Legolas winced in sympathy as he took Elladan down with him.

      He sheathed his swords, took the crossbow and slipped it into his tunic, and then rushed forward towards Elladan, falling to his knees before the unconscious elf.

      He turned Elladan over onto his back, and laid a hand upon his neck, immediately finding a steady pulse.  Exhaling in relief, he heard the footfalls come closer and hurriedly decided that there was little else to be relieved about.  More orcs afoot.  He was practically unarmed.  And he had an injured friend to protect.  It was, to put it plainly, a rather dire situation.

      Legolas hoisted Elladan over his shoulder, much as how the uruk-hai had carried him; Legolas figured that if it had not been too detrimental before, he might as well replicate its efficiency, it being that he was profoundly pressed for time.

      Running in the opposite direction of the sounds he had heard, Legolas knew that he was not making very good time, and if the tracking senses of the orcs could be relied upon (or carelessly cursed at, it depended on which side one was on), then he and Elladan would be found soon.

      Looking around him, he decided that for the moment, the best option was to stay hidden.  Careful not to disturb his surroundings, Legolas took a solid grip of an old, gigantic tree and steadily made his way up along its multitude of branches.  Its leaves were large and thick, randomly placed and grew close together.  It was the tree to climb if one did not want to be sighted from the bottom.  Near to the top, he found a solid curve of a branch near to the thick trunk, and he laid Elladan down upon it, securing his position to ensure he would not fall.

      Then he looked about the hanging branches and the general area they had settled in to ensure that it was clean or there were no spiders or snakes also making their refuge here.  Nodding to himself in approval, he removed the leather strap to his quiver and tied one of Elladan's arms to a large branch; he had to confuse the tracks they had left, and he would have to leave the injured elf for a short while.  Secured this way, he needn't fear that his friend would stir and fall.

      Climbing hastily down the tree, he calmed the grasses they had trod, and ran some meters away in distorted patterns.  He also took his dagger and made a cut along his palm, squeezing at the wound to draw blood and smattering it around.  Then, he tore at his tunic and bound the wound, climbing up the nearest tree he could find, just as he heard the voices of the orcs cursing heavily at the sight of their fallen comrades and the prey they had lost.

      Balancing carefully against the branches, he maneuvered from one tree to the next, careful to keep his steps light and quiet, until he returned to the tree he had left Elladan in.  The elf did not stir at all!

      Gently, he removed the leather straps that bound the other elf, then sat behind him, leaning against the trunk of the tree and encasing Elladan in his arms.  He slowed his breath and listened as tens of feet beneath them, orcs had settled for awhile and seemed to be pondering their next course of action.

      _Move along, move along_, he prayed silently.

      He heard them mutter and stir, as if they had heard him or perhaps someone had at last found the confusing tracks he had happily left them.  He was ready to exhale in relief when Elladan stirred, as if he neared waking, and groaned.

      Legolas put his palm against the elf's mouth to silence him, and whispered to his ear in elvish, ~Be still, _mellon_.  You are _almost_ safe.~ Elladan did as he was told, and Legolas closed his eyes and held his breath when he heard the orcs stop, survey their surroundings, and then hesitantly move away.

      He waited a few moments before he sighed and said to Elladan softly, ~You have terrible timing.~

      ~And _you_ stink like an orc,~ Elladan retorted in the same lowered tone, his shoulders shaking as he chuckled, ~But I am most pleased to see you, Legolas.~

      Legolas shifted, and let Elladan rest against the trunk as he moved away, adroitly moving across the branches and sitting in front of Elladan, surveying his wounds.

      ~I am fine,~ Elladan said quickly, ~Just the knock on the head, and it is healing well.  All others are days old and also on the way to recovery, and even trivial to begin with.~

      Legolas looked at him skeptically, decided not to press him and prod him, but just to observe his movements.  

      ~You are gaining Estel's Evil Eye,~ Elladan sighed, ~All right, all right.  The ribs are a bother, I think the ankle is badly sprained, and so's a wrist.  Will I live?~

      Legolas grinned at him triumphantly, ~For awhile.~

      The elf prince tore at his tunic and grabbed at random sturdy twigs and created various makeshift splints, binding Elladan's injuries.  Elladan teased him that he didn't do a very pretty job, but it was sure feeling better bound that way.

      ~Thank you, _mellon__,_~ said Elladan, leaning back against the tree trunk comfortably.

      Legolas tilted his head and looked at his friend curiously, before he asked, ~I was told you had left in a party of ten to hunt orc, and that you had all gone missing.  And yet I have sighted only you.  Where are the others? Where is Elrohir?~

      ~The eight soldiers we were with were slain and their corpses eaten,~ Elladan said bitterly, ~Elrohir they had set free, to bear a message to my _ada_.~

      ~A message?~ Legolas inquired.

      ~More of a ransom, actually,~ replied Elladan, ~My life, in exchange for the heir of Isildur.~

TO BE CONTINUED…


	4. The Secret

Author: Mirrordance

Title: Sacred Betrayal 

Summary: Elrohir forfeits the life of his brother Elladan for a secret price and Aragorn and Legolas go to unspoken dangers to discover the cause of this most sacred of betrayals…

PART 4: The Secret

* * *

      Thunder rumbled overhead, as if the heavens themselves disapproved of the unfolding events.  The wind started to whip at them and stir the leaves.

      ~That can't be,~ whispered Legolas, ~It's a secret, it always was.  Aragorn did not even know it was he 'til very recently.  How could the orcs know?~

      ~There have always been rumors,~ said Elladan, ~Rumors and strange prophesies that the servants of Sauron have always kept an ear for, servants whom the orcs follow, like the Nazgul.  I suspect, however, that they aren't entirely certain. It is a bluff, one that they could not risk not making when they stumbled upon Elrohir and I.~

      ~That would not sit well with Estel,~ said Legolas, ~It would not sit well with him at all, that he endangers you.~

      ~That's why he will never find out,~ Elladan winced, as he shifted his position, ~I made Elrohir promise to just tell everybody I was dead.  And in turn I promised that if they set me free as the messenger, I would tell them that he was dead.   So _ada_ would never have to choose between his sons.  So Estel would never have to feel guilt, or worse, try to solve the ridiculous situation on his own.~

      ~Which he would,~ Legolas pointed out, ~If he knew.~

      ~Good thing he never would,~ said Elladan wistfully.

      --

      ~Would he?~ Elladan asked after a moment.

      ~I don't know,~ said Legolas wryly, ~Would he?~

      --

      ~He might,~ Elladan said finally.

      --

      Legolas gave it a moment of thought.

      --

      ~He definitely might,~ agreed Legolas, nodding.

      ~Not for lacking on Elrohir's part, mind,~ said Elladan, ~He would keep his promise even if it means my death.  But Estel can be very... well, he can be very clever.~

      ~To say the least,~ said Legolas, looking at Elladan worriedly, ~I suppose that means we had better assure them you are safe and sound before they do anything rash.  Are you able to move?~

      ~Of course,~ grinned Elladan reassuringly, just before he looked down, noticing, ~We are up on a tree.~

      ~I will happily lend you an arm,~ Legolas told him cheerfully, hauling him up to his feet.  Elladan's good arm he slung over his shoulder, just as the first drops of rain began to fall.

      Carefully navigating through the now-slippery branches, Legolas' grip tightened and he jerked to recover his balance when he nearly slid.

      ~I think I felt a _woodland_ elf slip, there,~ teased Elladan, ~What a shame, what a shame…~

      ~Ha!~ Legolas said, preferring to keep his concentration on getting the two of them down to level ground with their necks and bones in the right places, though he said naught else more because he could not really think of anything clever to retort to the truth that Elladan had pointed out.

      Actually, he would have preferred traveling from tree to tree; but Elladan's injury made it hard enough for him to travel in fairways, much more through branches, especially with the rain making the clinging mosses into slippery deathtraps.

      ~It must have been very hard for Elrohir,~ Legolas said suddenly, making quiet conversation, ~To leave, knowing that his silence spells your doom.~

      ~It was a risk we both took,~ said Elladan, ~I promised to do the same, if it were I who was set free.  I saw the anguish in his eyes when he was taken away, and I felt lucky to be left behind.  With orcs, can you imagine? Lucky to be with orcs.  It's madness, but that is how hard I know it must have been.~

      ~I don't know if I could have done the same,~ Legolas admitted.

      ~Think of it this way,~ said Elladan, ~Estel is young yet, but his blood and fate guarantees the great deeds before him.  Whoever would have been left behind is just one life, against the generations and races that depend upon and would eventually depend upon Estel.  One life to purchase kingdoms.  It hardly even deserves thought.~

      Legolas winced.  ~I suppose.  But that price is not just one life.  It also entails Elrohir's heart.~

* * *

Rivendell

* * *

      Aragorn sauntered straight towards Elrohir's room, finding him with the beautiful Arwen, sitting side by side and looking over Imladris from his bedroom balcony.  Brother and sister looked towards his unannounced, purposeful entrance.

      "Estel," Arwen said softly, surprised.

      His heart beat faster at the sight of her, though he just nodded at her politely, before focusing his burning eyes solely on Elrohir.  The elf at first held his gaze, before letting his sight slide down towards the ragged, bloody sack that Aragorn held as if his life depended on it, and in ways he could not have known then, his life really did.  Elrohir's eyes turned from steely cold to anguished, as they met Aragorn's solid gaze.

      "Why," Estel asked his adoptive brother, "Tell me why."

      --

      ~He made me promise not to tell,~ Elrohir whispered brokenly, as Arwen's eyes darted left to right, not comprehending the exchange, ~_Ada_ shouldn't have to choose... choose between his sons.  And you... you shouldn't have to choose either.~

      --

      ~Me for Elladan,~ Aragorn said quietly, looking away, putting things together and silently cursing his fate, ~I see.  When and where.~

      ~Estel...~ said Elrohir tentatively, though he did not quite know how to continue, ~This is Elladan's choice--~

      ~When and where.~

      --

      ~Tomorrow night,~ said Elrohir, defeated, ~Dol Guldur.  Let it rest, Estel.  Either way it is too late.  It is as good as done.  You cannot get there in time.  Let it rest.~

      ~You know I cannot,~ Aragorn told him vehemently, heading for the door.  Elrohir ran after him, and Arwen, looking rightfully stunned, ran after the both of them.

      "Where are you going?!" Elrohir demanded.

      "They want me, don't they?" snapped Aragorn, "Then they will have me."

      "Do you honestly think once they have what they want Elladan will be set free?" said Elrohir, "Is he even still alive? We are talking about orcs and Nazgul here, Estel.  Beasts! Heartless, vicious--"

      "What would you have me do?" yelled Aragorn, "Sit here? How could you ask me not to act on the _barest_, _barest_ chance that he lives?"

      The human stormed out of the room, down the stairs, past stunned servants.  Elrohir followed him and Arwen ran off in search of their father.

      "I ask you for Elladan's sake," said Elrohir desperately, "He willingly pays for your life, and your kingdoms, with his own—" it was glaringly apparent that he was being stubbornly ignored-- "Estel!" called Elrohir, as Aragorn strode towards the stables, "Estel! Curse your heart, think about this first.  A plan at least..."

      "We are out of time," insisted Aragorn, mounting his horse.  Elladan stubbornly took Aragorn's reins from him and refused to release it.

      "If you go there," he seethed, "Elladan would die for nothing."

      "Then he better not die," snapped Aragorn, wresting the reins from Elrohir and flying away with his horse.  Elrohir stalked toward his own and followed hastily after him, just as Elrond ran into the stables, commanding the two rapidly vanishing warriors to Stop.

* * *

Southern Mirkwood

* * *

      "Elladan."

      --

      "Elladan."

      The elf blinked himself to alertness, and found that his head was hanging and he could see his own feet making sluggish attempts at walking, most of his weight resting against the elf prince who supported him.  The rain still battered at them, and the winds still whipped, and they were _still_ walking.

      ~I'm sorry Legolas,~ he murmured, ~I suppose I fell asleep.~

      ~I know you are tired,~ the Prince of Mirkwood said softly, ~You have been traveling for days.  I hope you have rested some, because I need your help, now.  We have been making very poor time, and I sense orcs about.  They are almost upon us.  Alas, it was too much to count upon my distractions to keep them occupied for too long.~

      ~I'm sorry, I shouldn't have been so lax--~

      ~It could not be helped,~ said Legolas, and Elladan heard the strained smile there, ~Do not let it trouble you.  Do you have any arms with you? Anything at all?~

      ~Nothing but my own fists, _mellon_,~ sighed Elladan, ~One of which is sprained and useless for now.~

      Legolas winced.  ~We cannot face them.  My own arrows are spent, and I have but a few shots from a crossbow I had… borrowed.  Close contact weapons would not help much either, with their number against ours.  We must hide,~ as an afterthought, he lightened his weighty statement with a grin, ~And you had better start smelling like an orc yourself.~

      ~I think you are being too polite,~ said Elladan wryly, ~I've been traveling with orcs for days.  I probably smell like five of them shoved in a barrel on a hot day.~

      ~You're being unjust,~ Legolas chuckled, ~Maybe just two.~  He pretended to sniff at the air, ~Or three.~

      They stopped walking to survey their surroundings and find a good place to hide.  Of course there were towering trees about.

      ~We climb,~ Legolas decided, narrowing his eyes at Elladan, ~We would make better time with you on my shoulder.~

      ~How embarrassing,~ Elladan said melodramatically, ~But I am not fool enough not to understand.  Carry on I say, after all, you had done it before.  Alas, my greatest injury is that my pride stings.  Tell this to no one.~

      Legolas smirked as he lifted Elladan off his feet and carried him like a sack over his shoulder, careful for his injured ribs.  

      Adroitly, and always cautiously gripping the branches because of the slippery footing, Legolas made his way near to the top, and rested Elladan against a thick branch.

      ~I'll be back,~ Legolas told him, hurriedly climbing down the tree and distorting their tracks as he had done before, reopening the wound upon his palm and smattering his blood about, then climbing another tree and making his way towards the one he had left Elladan in by jumping from one branch to another.

      All this time he had heard the pounding of nearing orc feet in his ears, confounding his brain and matching his heart, like a relentless clock pressing him, urging him forward and faster.

      Just as he sighted the first orc arrivals beneath him from the gaps in the leaves, he slipped, and felt himself begin to fall…

      --

      And jerk to a halt, Elladan leaning precariously forward from his branch, grabbing Legolas' forearm.

      The branch shook, and so did the leaves, and so did the water they held, the drops showering upon the orcs below with a rustling sound.

      Legolas held his breath and clenched his eyes shut, awaiting the inevitable orc-cry that would yell they have been spotted…

      --

      He opened one eye, and then the other.  Elladan was looking down at him with wide eyes, shaking his head, indicating that they have not been spotted… yet.

      The two elves stayed still, and the orcs below were silent, as if they too were waiting for something.  Legolas knew that the thick leafing of the tree kept them well-hidden, but it would not stand up to closer inspection.  He peered through the tiny gaps between the leaves at the beasts below, who were glancing up at the tree suspiciously.  

      Legolas held his breath, and gripped Elladan's forearm tight, feeling the weary elf's hold begin to lax, his muscles tremble with fatigue.

      Elladan nodded to him reassuringly, and Legolas nodded back.  He didn't try to lift himself up, and stir the leaves and branches some more, indicating their position.  The two elves stayed as still as they possibly could, with one of them hanging tens of feet above the ground by his arm, leaves and branches precariously hiding him from his predators.  

      All was silent and still for awhile, save for the rains and the winds.  It was at this time that Legolas felt a familiar, burning sting upon his other forearm, the one that hung loosely.  He looked at it in surprise, and found one of Mirkwood's most famous eight-legged trespassers giving him special attention.  His fall had disturbed a very busy web it seemed, and the furry beast, blue-black-tinged and the size of his palm, had seen fit that he would pay for it.

      He clenched his fist and gritted his teeth as it crawled its way higher up along his arm, up his shoulder.  Its tiny hairy legs seemed to be pricking his skin beneath his clothes, or maybe that was his mind conjuring up all sorts of strange detestable images, making him want to shudder even as he knew he had to stay completely still.

      Elladan noticed the spider too, and began to reach forward with his other hand to swat it away, only to be met by Legolas' disagreement, which he expressed with a quick jerk of his head.

      Elladan's brows furrowed, but he did as he was told.  Leaves and branches beneath them, one of the orcs had finally spotted the tracks Legolas had intentionally left them and hurried off to follow it.

      Legolas waited two calming breaths before he used his free hand to slap the spider away, before it tangled itself into his hair, towards his neck… He shuddered, and pulled himself up to the branch with Elladan's help, the two elves sitting side by side, sighing in relief.

      ~You have an incredible tolerance for spiders,~ Elladan commented.

      ~Nay, I do not,~ argued Legolas, ~I simply did not wish for the orcs to suspect our location anymore than they already did.  The venom of spiders have antidotes, you see, and an orc spear to the heart does not.~

      ~Venom?~ inquired Elladan, glancing at where Legolas had been bitten, ~How bad?~

      ~Bad enough,~ grimaced Legolas, knowing that the bite of _that_ foul furry _thing_ in particular was lethal if left untreated.  He had only been bitten by a lethal Mirkwood spider once before, and that had already been one time too many.  The spider from that time was not the same as this latest one, and he never really planned on collecting bites from them _all_.  It was just this ill luck…!

      Sighing out his frustration, he drew a dagger from his boot, and looked at the puncture mark on his left forearm.  It bled very minutely, and was swelling slightly.  He ran his dagger through the wounds to enlarge them, and pressed at his skin, willing the blood to run harder and let the poison out with it, before it spread to the rest of his body.  He was about to do the same with his left hand, which was bitten when he had swatted the spider away, when Elladan took the dagger from him and did it instead.

      ~Thank you,~ Legolas told him, watching impressed as the other elf worked quickly, even with one wrist sprained.  Then Elladan ripped at the remnants of his own battered tunic and helped bind the wounds.

      ~They're much prettier than your handiwork if I must say so myself,~ grinned Elladan, though there was worry in his eyes, ~Is to bleed it out enough? Would you know of any herbs…?~

      ~If done immediately,~ replied Legolas, ~I think we released the poison in good time.  Either way, I'm sure we'll come upon that antidote here somewhere.  I will take some when I see them,~ Legolas teased, ~To allay your fears, hen.~

      Elladan gave him a wry smile, but his eyes watched the other elf carefully, _just in case_.

TO BE CONTINUED…


	5. Roads

Author: Mirrordance

Title: Sacred Betrayal 

Summary: Elrohir forfeits the life of his brother Elladan for a secret price and Aragorn and Legolas go to unspoken dangers to discover the cause of this most sacred of betrayals…

PART 5: Roads

* * *

The Road to Mirkwood

* * *

      The last time Elrohir had ridden a horse so furiously as this was quite a few days ago.  In his sights now was the speedy riding of Estel, but days ago it had been an orc upon a warg.

      The hunt was progressing incredibly well, and they trailed their prey madly, until it soon became apparent that they were vastly outnumbered, and were in fact soon overpowered.

_      Rough hands had pushed them all to the ground, and an uruk-hai with a disturbingly keen eye had looked at Elrohir and Elladan, knowing who they were._

_      "They could be useful," said the uruk, grinning at them.  "This would please our masters."  He made quick orders, and the fastest rider was soon dispatched ahead of everyone else to bear a message to the Nazgul of Dol Guldur that the twin sons of Elrond had been accosted._

_      And then the host began to move laboriously toward the stronghold south of Mirkwood.  The elves were roughly handled, and it was plain to see that most if not all of them would die along this journey._

_      Elladan and Elrohir, like the eight elves that had traveled with them, were blindfolded and tied together.  But each time the blindfolds were removed for one reason or another, they would find their number diminished and the orcs feasting some distance away._

_      Midway through their journey, they made camp and Elrohir did not need to have his blindfolds removed to know that only he and Elladan were left.  The cries of the last elf soldier were hastily silenced by merry orc laughter, and the resounding sigh of a blade's brutal, lethal arc._

_      The perceptive uruk had come to their corner of the camp and happily told them that one of them will soon die, and that another would be set free._

_      "My master told me," he told them maliciously, his foul breath close to their faces, "that one of you will be set free to send word to Lord Elrond of a ransom.  Whoever remains will die five days hence, if the Heir of Isildur is not brought before Dol Guldur.  I have not decided who between you stays and goes.  You will know in the morning."_

_      With a cruel laugh at what he presumed would be anguished waiting on their part, he turned and walked away, kicking up dust behind him._

_      ~They are fools if they think this will work,~ Elladan said, finding the heart to chuckle, ~_Ada_ will never allow it.  And he will never bargain with any servant of Sauron's.~_

_      ~Either way, it is a certainty that one of us will die,~ said Elrohir, ~Whether the bargain is struck or not.  I do not trust the word of a cursed orc.~_

_      ~Then…~ said Elladan tentatively, ~Then whoever is sent to give word to _ada_ must promise not to.  Because it is ultimately useless.  _Ada _shouldn't have to choose between his sons, or ever wonder if he could have done anything to save us.  And Estel shouldn't have to feel the anguish that this is all his fault.  Whoever is left is dead anyway, it is unnecessary to make _Ada _or Estel feel guilt, and worry.~_

_      ~I understand,~ said Elrohir, ~I am prepared to make this vow.~_

_      ~And I,~ said Elladan._

_      --_

_      ~So tonight would be the last night I would have to bear your presence for a very long time,~ mused Elladan._

_      ~Please, do not cry,~ said Elrohir wryly, though his eyes seemed to water beneath his blindfolds, and this time he was pleased that his brother could not see him._

_      Elladan laughed, and in the silence of the dark that enveloped them, they fell into quiet, familiar companionship and warmth.  Time seemed to slow and extend, even as it sped and past them in a way that was too fleeting, too little.  Hours later, Elladan would break the silence and ask his brother,_

      ~_How far would you go to keep a promise?~_

_      ~Until it's fulfilled,~ Elrohir replied, ~You know this.~_

_      Silence._

_      ~You talk as if you know it's going to be you,~ Elrohir commented worriedly._

_      ~Just in case,~ said Elladan, though somehow, he knew in his heart of hearts that he would be the one left behind, ~If you think about it, our resolution is really quite practical, isn't it?~_

_      ~What do you mean?~ asked Elrohir._

_      ~Pay one life to save not only Estel, the brother that we adore,~ replied Elladan, ~But also just one life to pay for the survival of a race, the life of his kingdoms.  It's actually quite economical.~_

_      Elrohir laughed, ~I suppose.~_

_      But he was no longer laughing come the morning, when he was dragged away to fulfill the promise, to keep the secret.  The uruk sadistically tore at their blindfolds and told them to say goodbye.  And then he threw a ragged, bloody sack at Elrohir's face, tossing the hideous contents about the ground, and told him to pick them up and give them to his father, to remind Lord Elrond of the fate that could befall his captive son if he did not cooperate._

_      Allowing him a final, anguished glance at his brother, they dragged him away and pushed him in the direction of his home, leering at him and their eyes hungry and evil, practically promising him his brother's doom._

      _Elladan_, his heart wrenched, _I have kept my word to you as much as I was able.  I am sorry it is not enough.  But I will vehemently try to save Estel from his grief and madness.  _

_      Reckless human._

      He kept his eye on the furious rider meters and meters ahead of him, recalling the ending of the conversation that had ultimately brought the two of them here,

      _"If you go there," Elrohir had seethed, "Elladan would die for nothing."_

_      --_

_      "Then he better not die," snapped Aragorn_.

      Reckless as he was, Elrohir found that Estel ignited a fire in him; indeed the name suited the human, for he rekindled a hope that Elrohir thought he had long lost, even as his mind guaranteed him not to hold fast to it.

      _I hope you are right, Estel, and not I._

* * *

Southern Mirkwood

* * *

      Legolas had felt its first effects numbing his bitten hand, and that absent and all at once sluggish feeling crawled its way up along his arm as the day progressed.  Every once in awhile, he found himself glancing at it, just to assure himself that his affected limb was indeed still there.  Beside him, the profoundly weary Elladan had grown silent, as if he moved solely to put one foot in front of the other, though Legolas' constant stirring would make his head turn now and then, casting a worried glance at his friend.  

      Legolas would smile at him reassuringly, though his heart was troubled.  He would try to clench his bitten fist, but it just trembled and shook, his fingers barely managing to touch his palm.  When along the path that he and Elladan took he spotted a familiar shrub, he felt so relieved he knew he could not have found the cure any sooner.  

      ~Sit still awhile,~ Legolas murmured, settling Elladan upon the ground, who seemed to sink against it gratefully.  They have been traveling continuously since their last close call, and it was taking its toll on the battered elf.  

      ~What are you doing?~ Elladan asked Legolas, curiously watching as the other elf approached a shrub with strange round leaves the color of burnished honey, ~Is that the antidote?~

      ~Nay,~ replied Legolas as he gathered two twigs of leaves, ~But 'tis the next best thing.~

      He tucked the twigs into his tunic, and sat beside Elladan, who had by now noticed that he was making use solely of his right hand, the other hanging loosely upon his side.

      ~It hurts?~ Elladan asked.

      ~I almost wish it did,~ said Legolas wryly, ~The venom is a paralytic.~ He decided not to mention that the numbness resting heavily along his arm, was beginning to crawl dangerously close to his heart.  He shifted his position to look at his ragged work of Elladan's sprained ankle.

      ~The swelling is worse,~ Legolas commented, ~I suppose it is stupid to ask if it hurts.  I'm sorry for pushing you.~

      ~We both know it is necessary,~ said Elladan with a small smile, ~Can we afford this rest at all?~

      ~Aye,~ replied Legolas, ~We are nearing the road where we had found you.  Up a gentle hill, then some meters north, and there lies one of our outposts, where Amadis and some of our soldiers await my return.  Things are indeed looking up.  Even the rain is beginning to slow some.~

      ~Amadis let you run off on your own?~ grinned Elladan as he remembered his friend's aging, rock-stern guardian, ~I cannot believe it.~

      ~I bet neither can he,~ chuckled Legolas, patting the area along his tunic where he had kept the leaves, as if he was reassuring himself that they were there.  The action was not lost to Elladan.

      ~Aren't you going to take them already?~ he inquired.

      Legolas shook his head.  ~It's not the most convenient thing in the world, you see.  It's going to dull my senses and you and I need them all at the moment.~  He smiled, ~Besides, it is going to make me almost half as ill as my luck, and I will not be the most stealthy of travelers.  Not to mention it is a sight I do not wish to subject you to, _mellon_.  Maybe later, at the camp.~

      His humor would not reach Elladan, though.  ~Then we had best get there soon,~ he said, struggling to rise to his feet, grunting with his pain.  Legolas assisted him and slung his arm over his shoulder.

      ~We're near, eh?~ breathed Elladan.

      ~Very,~ Legolas said boldly, as he took the first step forward.  Laboriously they moved towards their goal, and for every step forward that they took, their hearts hardened even as their bodies struggled.  More and more, Legolas found himself leaning against the elf he was supposed to be supporting.

      ~We are like two logs,~ he chuckled, ~cut up and precariously balanced against each other.~

      It was no longer so funny some time later, when Legolas realized the poison had reached his heart and had from there moved to the rest of his body after he felt the world tilt, and he and Elladan came crashing to the ground.

      Elladan bit back a yelp and blinked at the blackness that crossed his vision as the fall impacted against his multitude of injuries.  Catching his breath on the ground, he pushed himself to his elbows and found Legolas beside him on his back, blinking slowly and almost absently at the cloudy, grey-dark skies with his glassy blue eyes unseeing, his chest alarmingly not rising and falling.

      "Legolas!" Elladan exclaimed, shaking his friend's arm with his good hand, ~Return!~

      Legolas' eyes drifted towards his, and grew wide in realization and fear for a moment, before he opened his mouth and struggled to take a shuddering breath.

      ~Give me a moment,~ he rasped, taking a few more breaths and closing his eyes in relief and weariness, before forcing them open to meet Elladan's worried, disapproving stare.

      ~You are eating those blasted leaves Now,~ the elf said with finality, booking no arguments.

      ~I will,~ grinned Legolas lazily, ~If you move ahead of me.~

      ~That's ridiculous,~ retorted Elladan, ~I can shove them down your throat, how would you like that?~

      ~Please,~ insisted Legolas, ~Orcs are about.  They will be upon us soon.  But we are so near the camp, Elladan.  You just have to leave ahead of me.~

      ~You mean leave you,~ said Elladan flatly, ~No. I'll carry you the rest of the way if I have to, _mellon_.~

      ~You can barely keep yourself upright,~ argued Legolas, ~It must be done.  I can't go anywhere whether I take the herbs or not.  You know it as well as I.  And if you stay here you will only perish with me.  We are so near.  If you reach the camp soon, you may even return here with help in time.  And either way, as long as you reach camp, Rivendell can be informed of your safety at the soonest time, and Estel wouldn't have to run off and do something honorable and still undeniably stupid.  Think of Estel, Elladan.  Go.~

      ~You have your heart set on dying here,~ Elladan scowled at him.

      ~I don't have my heart set on dying anywhere,~ Legolas sighed, pushing himself off the ground to a sitting position, to meet Elladan's eyes evenly, ~What Elrohir had the heart to do, so must you. 'One life to purchase kingdoms.  It hardly even deserves thought.'  Remember?~

      Growling in displeasure that his own words were used against him, Elladan rose to his feet with a grimace.  

      ~Stay out of trouble,~ Elladan told him, before turning away.

      _Why does everyone keep saying that?_, Legolas wondered as he watched the other elf move away in his best, limping pace.

TO BE CONTINUED…


	6. Reunions

Author: Mirrordance

Title: Sacred Betrayal 

Summary: Elrohir forfeits the life of his brother Elladan for a secret price and Aragorn and Legolas go to unspoken dangers to discover the cause of this most sacred of betrayals…

PART 6: Reunions

* * *

      Elladan had stumbled down the gentle decline to land upon his rump ungracefully on the old dirt road.  Rubbing at his tender ribs and wincing, he looked up from his personal torment just in time to see a rider take a curve in the road maddeningly fast.  He watched wide-eyed as the man halted his horse before it mauled him.

      "Estel!" Elladan exclaimed, "Do you want to kill me?!"

      Aragorn's jaws hit the ground, just before his booted feet when he hurriedly dismounted his horse and laughingly embraced his brother, who winced at the assault upon his injuries, but smiled at the warmth of the reception.

      "I cannot believe it!" Aragorn exclaimed, "You are safe!  _Ada_ will be so thrilled.  _Mellon_, you would not believe the gloom Imladris has been under since you vanished."

      From behind Aragorn, another rider arrived.  Elrohir's eyes were wide and watery at the sight of his brother, and Elladan fancied he must have looked as delightfully stunned himself.

      Smiling impishly, he did not say the things that did not need saying; he was overwhelmed at the joy that seemed to want to burst from his heart.  Instead, he said to his twin, ~What in the world is the human doing here? Didn't we have an agreement, brother?~

      ~You know how clever he is,~ Elrohir said as he dismounted his horse, deliberately slowly, and he walked towards his brother in the same mannered pace, as if he wished to relish the reunion, or perhaps, to ensure that it was indeed real.

      ~You should have asked me for a different promise,~ Elrohir said, his eyes dancing as he embraced his brother, ~To knock him over the head and keep him tied up until all was over.~

      Chuckling, Elladan rose to his feet with Elladan's help, just as more riders approached them.  Some were of Rivendell, most likely sent after Estel and Elrohir, and some of Mirkwood, probably guardians of the borders and wondering what in all of Arda they were all doing there.

      "Come," Elladan said, "We must fetch Legolas."

      Aragorn's brows rose, "You left _him_ alone somewhere?" he asked, implying not that it was irresponsible of Elladan to have done so, but it was a danger to leave the mischievous Prince of Mirkwood up to his own devices.

      "I was to go for help," said Elladan, "He could not travel."

      Aragorn's forehead creased in worry, "Then we must be away."

      "But I suggest we leave the horses," said Elladan, "Stealth is better than speed at this point.  The orcs were hard upon our heels and it is better to catch them unawares.  Either way, he is not very far."

* * *

      Elladan's conclusion was indeed the most prudent one to take; when they arrived at where he had left Legolas, the area was already overrun by at least two dozen orcs.

      Low amidst the grasses against their stomachs, the small crowd of elves and human watched in mounting despair as their friend and kindred was surrounded by the enemy and lying upon the soil.  They could see him from the gaps between the orcs' legs, shivering and coughing.

      "Look it here," growled an orc happily, "We have us a present from the elves.  He will make a _fine, fine_ meal."

      Aragorn's muscles tensed, poised to attack even as his mind calmed him, and he looked towards Elladan and Elrohir, and the stunned Mirkwood and Rivendell guards who were looking toward them for counsel.  Aragorn shook his head at them, _not yet_.  Legolas was too deeply entrenched in the line of fire.  They would rapidly loose control of the situation the moment and orc finds the brains to raise him up and threaten his life if the others did not surrender.  _Not yet_.

      "What's wrong with it?" one of the orcs asked, just as an uruk-hai commander pushed his way forward and scowled at the fallen elf.

      "It looks ill," he said.

      As if on cue, Legolas began to gag, and shake harder.  He coughed and choked against his own vomit, gasping desperately for air.  

      Aragorn tensed some more.  If they did not move soon, Legolas would cease to _breathe_…

      "I would not touch it," the uruk-hai said, spitting on the ground near Legolas' head, "You eat that soiled flesh you might end up like him.  Move out."

      "Should we rush his passing and ease his suffering?" leered an orc.

      "I would rather watch him expire in pain," laughed another, and the troupe lingered, malicious and intently attentive, as the elf gagged, and choked, and at last did his eyes roll back, and his body lost all its tension and fell boneless against the ground, unmoving.

      Aragorn watched breathlessly.  If the orcs left now, and they acted quickly, it would be easy enough to revive him if his air passages were cleared.  But they were desperately pressed for time…

      "Move out," the uruk-hai commanded, "One of them still lingers here, and we come too close already to Thranduil's realm.  We must find him quickly, or the master will be displeased."

      Grudgingly, the orcs moved away, the beast holding the tail end passing by Legolas with a sadistic kick to the stomach, before scurrying off after the rest of his group.

      Aragorn waited a breath for the orcs to vanish from ear-shot, and watched in awe and amusement as Legolas' eyes leveled suddenly, and cautiously trailed after his would-have-been assassins.

      Chuckling as he rose from the ground, Aragorn fell to a knee beside the elf.  ~I never knew acting to be one of the many talents of the Prince of Mirkwood.~

      Legolas grinned up at him lazily and wiped at his mouth with his sleeve, ~It's not acting.  It's playing dead.  There lies a difference.  The detestable retching, however,~ he sighed as he closed his eyes for a moment and pressed his palms against them, ~Is real enough so I am obliged to advise you not to stand too close.~

      Elrohir, who had been aiding Elladan in walking all this while, assisted his brother to sit on the ground.  The other soldiers behind them, he commanded in groups to return with the horses, send word to Rivendell of their safety, and to secure the surrounding area.

      ~What is ailing you, _mellon_?~ Aragorn asked Legolas, gently taking his hands from his eyes.

      ~Spider bite,~ he replied, gulping down another impulse to gag, his stomach heaving, ~The venom was a paralytic.  I couldn't find its foil along our route, so I countered it with a herb that is also poison on any other occasion, but has the reverse effect.  Each should cancel the other.  Nothing to worry about, I promise.  It is just dreadfully uncomfortable.~

      Aragorn laid a hand against the elf's forehead, finding it feverish, which was understandable given the situation.  His heart also beat very rapidly, but none of his symptoms were a cause for immediate concern, if they kept him well-rested and taken care of.

      ~Satisfied?~ Legolas smirked at him as he opened his eyes and pushed himself up.  

      ~For now,~ Aragorn replied, helping him sit.

      ~What are they all doing here?~ Legolas asked Elladan, who was sitting beside him wearily but also smiling, ~Did you limp all the way to Rivendell and back?~

      ~We did say Estel was honorable and stupid, didn't we?~ he laughed, ~And so he managed to come here on his own.  Although it seemed you did not need much of our help after all.~

      ~You called me honorable and stupid?~ Aragorn demanded.

      ~You're here, aren't you?~ grinned Legolas.

TO BE CONTINUED…


	7. Recoveries

Author: Mirrordance

Title: Sacred Betrayal 

Summary: Elrohir forfeits the life of his brother Elladan for a secret price and Aragorn and Legolas go to unspoken dangers to discover the cause of this most sacred of betrayals…

PART 7: Recoveries

* * *

      The rain had ended by nightfall, just in time for them to build a raging, warming fire upon their arrival at the Mirkwood border outpost.  Amadis, who was himself recovering from a head wound, had berated his Prince for all of one minute before assisting him from Aragorn's horse and settling him comfortably to sit on the ground, near the fire.

      Legolas sighed and pulled his knees to his chest, resting his pounding head against his folded arms and knees.  Aragorn sat beside him with a cup of stew and a wool blanket, nudging him for attention.

      ~Are you kidding?~ Legolas asked him with a weary smile, ~I cannot keep anything down, Estel.  But the blanket I will take.  Thank you, _mellon_.~

      ~You have to drink something,~ Aragorn insisted, ~It is dangerous to keep losing fluids without replenishing them.  Please.  You don't have to finish the entire cup.~

      Legolas looked at him miserably, but the human had these eyes about him that pretty much got him everything he ever wanted.  The elf took the cup into his slightly trembling hands and took a tentative sip.  And another, before he grimaced and shoved it back towards Aragorn.  The human took it and laid it on the ground, as his friend coughed and struggled with his body's impulse to gag, his eyes watering as he took control of himself.  Aragorn rubbed at his back, easing him as he caught his breath.

      ~Your fault,~ he said between gasps.

      ~When you get better,~ said Aragorn wryly, ~I hope you would attribute it to me as well.~

      ~That's not how it works,~ Legolas joked, before his stomach heaved and he turned away from Aragorn, putting his hand over his mouth.  The human hurriedly helped him stand and stumble to an obscure corner of the camp, where he lost the meager contents of his stomach as he gagged helplessly.  Cold and shocky, he was on his hands and knees on the ground, profoundly miserable, with Aragorn leaning behind him, keeping his hair away from his face and rubbing at his back soothingly.

      ~I will never eat or drink again,~ Legolas said with a weary laugh.

      ~Maybe you should just never get bitten again instead, _mellon_,~ smirked Aragorn.

      As Legolas regained his strength on the ground, Aragorn's eyes drifted to the other side of the camp, where Elrohir was tending to his twin brother.  Elladan, too weary to eat dinner, was already nestled in a bedroll next to the fire.  Though he was tired, he was never too tired to laugh or kid, and even as his eyes were drifting towards a much-needed and much-deserved sleep, Elrohir said something to him that made them both chuckle.  

      The warming sight sent a smile to Aragorn's face.  He could not wait to return to Imladris and see Lord Elrond embrace his sons.  He could not wait for their voices to grace the halls and rooms of the home he had known.  As if feeling his gaze, Elrohir looked up at him and met his eyes.  The elf smiled at him warmly.

      Aragorn nodded at him in greeting, before turning back towards Legolas, who was stubbornly trying to gain his feet on his own.  Sighing in consternation, he hauled the elf up and helped him towards the fire, settling him on a bedroll next to the now-sleeping Elladan's.  The entire camp was beginning to wind down at this hour, and the first soldiers on watch took their posts as the others settled down to sleep.

      "Thank you," Legolas murmured to Aragorn as the human put a blanket over him.

      "Sleep well, _mellon_," Aragorn said to him quietly, as he made himself comfortable on the ground next to Legolas, leaning back and resting his weight against his palms, legs stretched out before him.  Rising from Elladan's side, Elrohir sat beside his adopted brother and did the same.

      Tilting his head past Aragorn, Elrohir looked towards Legolas whose eyes were already closed in a deep, healing sleep.  He still looked drawn and tired, his brows furrowed slightly, but his chest rose and fell evenly in rest.

      ~How does he fare?~ asked Elrohir.

      ~He says he will never eat or drink again,~ replied Aragorn wryly, ~But otherwise, I think he will be much improved by tomorrow.  Perhaps completely recovered the day after.  Elladan?~

      ~He is mostly tired,~ sighed Elrohir, ~I nearly killed him.  I nearly killed my own brother."

      ~You didn't nearly kill your brother,~ Aragorn told him quickly, ~_Y_ou both only did what you felt to be right.  You carried this burden for _Ada_, the burden of choosing.  He will understand.  And he will admire your spirit.  You… you carried the burden of my guilt too…"

      They fell into companionable silence for awhile, watching the fire and listening to its low crackle.

      "When I found you," Aragorn said suddenly, "You were looking in my eyes as if you were looking for something.  I've only now come to realize what it must have been you were searching for.  You were wondering if I was worth all that you were paying.  If I was worth Elladan.  Your betrayal.  Your heart."

      --

      Aragorn feared to ask...

      --

      "You are," Elrohir told him quietly, answering it anyway, reading his mind, "I kept the secret until I thought I could dissuade you by revealing it, didn't I?"

      --

      "If Elladan died," said Aragorn, "I don't think you could have forgiven me."

      "That's not true," Elrohir insisted, taking Aragorn's shoulder and gripping it tightly, "We know the costs of the things we do, Estel.  And the costs of who we are, and who we love.  His loss would have pained me greatly, yes, but all these sacrifices are made trusting that you are well worth them all, brother."

      "What if I'm not?" Aragorn asked, "What if I never get to do all the things I am supposed to? It's just blood, Elrohir.  I'm just an agglomeration of noble blood and noble flesh.  It doesn't mean a thing if I didn't know what to do with them.  And I don't."

      "You look towards your future deeds," pointed out Elrohir, "And make no mistake, they do count.  Elladan said to me, he was just one life to pay against a race of men and your kingdoms, it didn't even deserve thought.  But I also speak of the present; even without these great futures that we all desperately look with hope to you for, you _are_ already worth all that we are willing to give for you.  You are our friend, our brother.  You needn't worry about the rest, at least not for now."

      Aragorn blinked at the fire, smiled and looked at Elrohir.

      "You are right," he said mock-seriously, his eyes dancing, "We have greater worries at the moment.  _Ada_ is going to kill us all."

      ~Maybe just I,~ chuckled Elrohir, ~_Ada_ will take my neck with his bare hands and happily wring it.~

      ~He will do no such thing,~ Aragorn guaranteed him with a laugh, ~Or if he would, he would not do it to you exclusively.  I'm going to be on that list.  And then Elladan too, after he recovers.  And if he can still get his hands on Legolas after King Thranduil throws him into the Mirkwood dungeons until the end of time, then him too.~

      Elrohir smiled tentatively, ~I'm not sure that is very comforting.~

THE END

NOVEMBER 5, 2003 

SOME IMPORTANT NOTES

On the title.  I was a little at a loss as to what to call the fic, and when I thought of "Sacred Betrayal," it had a kind of kick to it.  Reading through the fic, however, it would be obvious that Elrohir's actions can hardly be referred to as a betrayal.  That's why I referred to it as 'sacred;' this particular betrayal must be held in reverence because it is between the great bonds of brothers and so unlikely, that it must be founded on a special reason that is only later revealed.

On the timeline.  For those who have read my fics "Allies," and "Ghost of Imladris," this follows the latter.  I've grown a soft spot for this setting, which is set around the year 2951 of the third age, if you look at Appendix B of ROTK.  

On the style.  The movement I tried to pursue in this piece is kind-of repetitive.  For instance, comments and thoughts are re-used, like "Just in case" has been used twice for the sake of foreboding.  Then I also liked the idea of switching roles in similar situations for example, Elrohir left Elladan at the start, and near to the end, Elladan had to leave Legolas.  If you notice, the twins were also found by a horse-riding Aragorn after they had left loved ones behind.  The same lines are also used to convince them, the line about "One life to purchase kingdoms, it doesn't even deserve thought," and in the end this line is tossed to Aragorn, except modified to say he is important not merely for what he can do, but for what he already was.  The purpose of the role-switching is kind of like, well, for lack of a better term, karmic.  For instance, I wanted Elladan to feel how Elrohir felt and how much that sacrifice meant.  If you think about it, the theme of the story is basically taking someone else's burden.  Elrohir did it for Elrond and Estel at the start, and then it kind of got tossed around until it all reached where it ought to ultimately be.  That's why there were role switches.  It's kind of subtle, probably even imperceptible, but I consciously placed it.  

      I also made use of the language as a medium to convey the feelings of a scene.  By the way, darn it I remembered only just now to say that words encased by this (~) is in elvish and words encased by this (") is in English.  This always happens to me.  Sigh.  Anyway, in particular, the part four confrontation of Estel and Elrohir began with the two of them literally speaking different languages, indicating at this point that they did not yet understand each other.  And then they start to speak Elrohir's language when Estel understands his situation, and Elrohir speaks Estel's language when the converse happens.

On some of the characters.  

      On Aragorn.  I always depicted him as highly dependable, and here he may seem reckless, because I pegged this as his moments of conflict about who he is and who he ought to be.  His loyalty and dependability is also making a leap from highly concentrated to his family and friends to responsibilities towards a greater good.  He had long been around people who were not his kin, and now he is given responsibility for virtual strangers, just because of his lineage.  He can learn the ways of his people and be as Aragorn has been described, 'the hardiest of men' or something like that, but he cannot be forced to love them and genuinely care for them.  I wondered about what could possibly bridge his loyalty to his family towards his estranged people.  And I figured that if he realized how his brothers were willing to sacrifice themselves for the cause of Gondor and Arnor and men in general, then he would know precisely how important it was and why he had to excel.  I hope my depiction of him is believable :)

      On Legolas.  My favorite part of this story is undoubtedly part three, wherein I wanted to show Legolas in his most commanding, princely form and at the same time, show his humor and charm.  He is a warrior, after all, and I wanted to show this side of him alongside his character.  This is why he is alternately skilled and focused, and then clever, humorous and impulsive.  I always said I loved a characterization that was a mix of the book and the movie, so I hope how he turned out makes sense, since he is hands-down my favorite character :)

      On Amadis.  I introduced this character in "Ghost of Imladris" and I liked him because he was kind of the foil to Legolas' charm and vivacity.  But he needed to let go too, so that is what I made him do: trust his impulsive charge.  

On my reviewers.

      Thanks so much for taking the time to not only read but also to review.  I never get very many, but your words are so encouraging that they are more than enough.  I always can't wait to finish my pieces and I hope quality didn't suffer and I didn't disappoint.  Thank you again :)

Anyway, c&c's always welcome :) Thank you!


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